Much more than beaches and barbecue (Press-Register editorial)

Ryan Johnson with Worrell Contracting, works to set out an American flag at Mobile National Cemetery Friday, May 25, 2012, in preparation for Memorial Day Monday, May 28. The Memorial Day service at the cemetery is set for 9:00 am. (Press-Register, Bill Starling)

COASTAL ALABAMA and Mississippi have never regarded Memorial Day as just a three-day weekend marked by beaches and barbecue, although we surely welcome everyone to the summer tourist season.

This region has lost too many of its people to war not to recognize the significance of the day. We know too many families whose relatives were killed or wounded in our nation’s wars.

That’s why there are observances up and down the coast today, and why people have put out their American flags. Even most folks who are grilling and hitting the beach will take at least a moment to honor the dead.

Indeed, the military is an important piece of the fabric of the region. This weekend, for example, the USS Mississippi submarine is in port in Pascagoula for its upcoming commissioning ceremony.

The Mississippi is the Navy’s newest submarine, and of course Pascagoula is home to thousands of defense-contract jobs at Ingalls Shipyard.

In coastal Alabama and Mississippi, people will be paying special tribute to World War II’s “greatest generation” veterans, many of whom have been treated over the past three years to special Honor Flights to see Washington’s World War II Memorial.

Those who have organized, contributed to and volunteered for the Honor Flights can be proud that they celebrated these heroes before it was too late.

In Baldwin County, Ala., a new veterans cemetery is making good progress, and the creation of a state military museum is not only another tourist attraction but also a means of educating young people about military history. Once the museum is built and open, we hope to see it partner with Battleship Park to the benefit of both.

Meanwhile, on this Memorial Day let us remember that Americans are still in combat in Afghanistan and still risking their lives for their country in other dangerous parts of the world, even as we honor the war dead.